The workplace is abuzz with new HR trends, and HR needs to constantly reinvent to keep pace. We can see the focus shifting from mere productivity to truly leaving a positive impact on all the HR touch points, be it the candidate, the employee or the business stakeholders. Following are some of the top trends to keep in mind while designing the people proposition.

An enhanced “experience”: Recruiters must concentrate on creating a great job candidate experience, by availing the best blend of technological and human intervention. Depend too much on technology and you dehumanize the process, dig into manual labor and you run the risk of reducing efficiency. HR partners too must dwell on the best employee experience, whether it is how people use the latest performance management tool, or simply enter their benefits preferences in the self-service module.

Blended workforce: While it is true that the gig economy is making it big, full-time traditional workers are here to stay. Which means that employers will need to deal with a complex employer-employee model that juggles different work arrangements. This means a wider variety of benefits tools, for a wider employee base, and yet these must be curated to each group’s unique needs. That’s the challenge of a blended workforce.

Continuous feedback: Organizations are discarding the annual review mechanism and replacing it with frequent check-ins based on ongoing feedback and continuous learning. HR must orient employees to the new realities of performance management, training them to use the latest tool, and have the right conversations.

Generational diversity: Millennials are fast becoming a huge chunk of the workforce. While they are juggling managerial responsibilities, they still need learning and coaching inputs. This group has needs that stand out due to their different life preferences and lifestyle. Flexibility, big career opportunities are some of the drivers that HR must use as carrots for these people.

Augmented reality and virtual reality: This may seem an allied HR Technology asset, but it will become mainstream soon enough. From talent assessment to experiential learning experiences to employer branding, it will find many applications in HR. HR professionals must familiarize themselves with the advent of this emerging field.

Smartness abounds: Machine learning and data analytics are making workplaces smarter than ever. This can be a huge boost to workforce productivity, provided employees know how to leverage all the “smartness”. This means going digital not for the sake of it, but to truly create an empowering employee experience. Whether it is mobile apps for self-service or virtual desktop infrastructure make sure it makes employees’ lives easier.

Employee wellness: A significant chunk of benefits will be centered on employee wellness– physical, emotional, financial, spiritual etc. Employers need to take over and provide a support system to their people in a situation where work is ongoing round the clock and high expectations abound.

Benefits for branding: Employee benefits have the power to stand out as the talent edge if integrated well in the employer branding initiatives. Especially with millennials looking out for jobs, the right benefits can make all the difference between application and rejection by the candidate. Today candidates are more aware, research more and make narrow choices to align with their personal values.

Flexi working: We have already spoken about the gig economy. This will demand new types of benefits in higher abundance—telecommuting, part-time work, contract or project-based work etc. HR must instate the right technological tools to enable smooth working.

Importance of teams: The nature of work is becoming more collaborative and shared. While individual roles will remain, team work and communication will take on more importance to be able to deliver on the high client expectation. This means shifting some performance metrics and benefits from individual to the team level.

Each of these trends has a direct impact on benefits design and administration. HR professionals and compensation and benefits professionals need to wake up to the new reality of the workforce and align their benefits strategy in accordance.